OP_071819

OPPrairie.com news
the orland park prairie | July 18, 2019 | 3
Orland D135 Board of Education
Lawsuit settled; board hopes to hire new leader by Feb.
WILL O’BRIEN
Freelance Reporter
The search to find Orland School
District 135’s next permanent superintendent
after the curious departure
of DJ Skogsberg took an important
step forward July 8, with the School
Board picking a professional search
firm to lead the process.
District 135 is seeking a new superintendent
following the resignation
of Skogsberg, who left the post
on June 30 after being placed on paid
leave in March. Assistant Superintendent
John Bryk has assumed the
duties of superintendent in the interim
and will serve in that capacity
until June, Peckham-Dodge said.
Skogsberg was placed on leave for
unspecified reasons.
He is the subject of a lawsuit filed
in March 2018 by teacher Heather
Conrad against District 135, alleging
sexual discrimination on the part of
the superintendent. Conrad said she
was a denied a promotion to principal
and removed from her position as
assistant principal based on her sex,
and in retaliation for “rejecting the
unwanted advances” of Skogsberg.
That lawsuit has been settled, the
board announced during the meeting,
and Conrad was appointed at the
assistant principal at Century Junior
High.
The board voted unanimously to
award the contract to Ray and Associates,
a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based
firm that won the board over with its
national reputation and promise to
offer comprehensive search services.
Ray, which will begin the process
immediately, will be paid $20,100,
with the district covering extra costs
like job-advertisement placements
and candidate expenses.
The board hopes to complete the
process and vote on the new superintendent
no later than February, Linda
Peckham-Dodge, the school board
president, told The Orland Park
Supers in the 2000S
A look at the District 135 superintendents
since the start of the century
1998-2004 - Peter Yuska
2004-2006 - Linda Anast-May
2006-2010 - Dennis Soustek
2010-2012 - Paul Howell
2013-2016 - Janet Stutz
2016-2019 - DJ Skogsberg
Prairie. The new superintendent
would assume duties July 1.
The board picked Ray and Associates
over Hazard, Young, Attea &
Associates and a search group from
the Illinois State Board of Education.
Ray’s proposal, priced similarly
to HYA’s, included conducting community
surveys in multiple languages,
full candidate background checks
and a guarantee to redo the process
if the hired superintendent leaves
within two years of being hired.
Please see D135, 8
Man shot through door in
alleged targeted attack
Lauren Coughlin
Contributing Editor
A 20-year-old Orland
Park man reportedly was
in stable condition after
being shot twice in the abdomen
Sunday, July 14.
The man or his family
are believed to have been
the “intended target,” according
to a July 15 press
release from the Orland
Park Police Department.
As of press time, Lt.
Ken Rosinski said a motive
was not known, but
the manner — the offender
rang the doorbell and did
not enter the home — suggests
it was targeted. The
incident occurred at 9:11
p.m. in the 9600 block of
From July 15
Kris Trail.
A 40-caliber semiautomatic
gun was fired
through the still-closed
glass door, Rosinski said.
He believed there was
no danger to the public.
The victim was transported
to Christ Hospital
in Oak Lawn. The offender
was described as a black
male in his mid-20s who
may have been driving a
silver, older model sedan.
Anyone with information
is asked to call (708)
349-4111 or email cri
metips@orlandpark.org.
For more on this and other
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